The Bar Code

What's black and white and read all over? It's smaller than a matchbox, and probably the most often seen, yet least noticed symbol in the United States. It helps millions of Americans every day, but no one notices it. It's a few inches away from your eyes at this moment. Look at the back cover of your textbook and you'll see a bar code.

Bar codes are a series of black and white lines of different widths. These lines represent the price of the product. They are "real all over" by a scanner. The scanner is operated by a very strong and very narrow ray of electric light called a laser beam. This beam of light translates the black and white lines into a numbering system that the computer is able to understand. The computer transfers the lines into numbers, then prints the price of the product onto the screen.

Mass Marketing: The Coca-Cola® Story

In the 1880s, people drank John Pemberton's tonic to cure headaches. It wasn't a very popular drink, and he sold only about a dozen bottles a day. That's why Pemberton was willing to sell the rights to his medicinal drink. The buyer, Asa Griggs Candler, paid just $2,300 for the rights to Coca-Cola. Today Coca-Cola is worth over $2,470,000,000. It controls 50% of the world market in soft drinks.

How did Coca-Cola become so popular? One answer is that Asa Candler was a very clever businessman. He was one of the first people to use mass-marketing techniques. One of the most important things he did was to make his product unique. When he bought the rights to Coca-Cola, it was sold in ordinary bottles. It looked like every other drink on the market. To make Coca-Cola look different, designed an eye-catching logo for his product. When other companies tried to imitate Coca-Cola's name, Candler took them to court. 

The History of Money

Today, our currency is a mixture of coins and paper money. But it wasn't always that way. Before metal coins and paper bills existed, people used a lot of unusual things to buy what they needed. In one part of the world, for example, people used sharks' teeth for money. In some places, brightly colored feathers and rare seashells were money. People in one area even used the bristles from elephants' tails for money.

No one knows for sure when people started using metal coins for money. Archeologists have found coins dating from 600 B.C., so we know they have been around for a long time. At first, people used precious metals, such as gold and silver, to make coins. They stamped the figure of a person or animal on each coin to indicate its value.

In the 1200s, people in China used iron coins for their currency. These coins weren't worth very much, so people had to use a lot of them to make their purchases. Because it was inconvenient to carry around a large number of heavy iron coins, the government started printing paper receipts. People took these receipts to banks and traded them in for coins. This is the first example we have of paper money.

The Tunguska Fireball

At night, you can sometimes see a meteor if there are no bright lights nearby. We call it a “falling star.” Most meteors die as they enter the earth’s atmosphere. The friction of the meteors passing through the atmosphere burns them up, even though they are made of rock and metal.

When a meteor hits the earth, it is then called a meteorite. Most are very small. However, occasionally in the past, large meteorites hit the earth and made huge craters. There is a one in Australia and another in Arizona. They are both thousands of years old.

Was a meteorite the cause of the explosion in Tunguska, in central Siberia, in 1908? On June 30 of that year, the inhabitants of the lonely Tungus plateau saw a very bright light in the sky. Seconds later, they heard a tremendous explosion. As far away as Europe, people saw their night sky illuminated. For years afterwards, they talked about the brightness of the sky that night.

The Easter Island Statues

When the first sailing ship came to Easter Island in 1722, the captain and crew were afraid to land. They saw giants looking down at them from the high cliffs. The giants didn't move, so the ship gradually sailed closer.​ Finally, the sailors realized the giants were only statues. These huge carvings have puzzled the world ever since. Who made them? How did they get there?

Easter​ Island is a small dot in the South Pacific Ocean. It is hundreds of miles away from the nearest shipping route, and it is one of the most isolated places on earth. The nearest mainland is over 2,000 miles away in South America.​ The biggest statue on Easter Island is over 60 feet high and weighs over 100 tons. There are hundreds of smaller ones, about 15 feet high. All of the statues are carved from stone and some wear​ stone hats. Their faces are solemn and unsmiling. 

The Roanoke Settlement

Only a few Europeans lived in North America in the 1500s. Most of them settled along the northeast coast. In 1587, a small group of one hundred people decided to go south. They moved to the small island of Roanoke. That area later became part of the state of North Carolina.

Unfortunately, the Roanoke settler weren't well prepared. They had to ration their food for winter, and there wasn't enough grain for future crops. Their leader, Captain White, decided to sail back to England to get fresh provisions. However, there was a war in Europe, and three years passed before he returned to North America.

When Captain White finally sailed back to Roanoke in 1590, he was eager to see the settlers. He looked out from his ship as it came into port, but no one was there to meet him. The settlement was deserted. There were no signs of life. The Roanoke settlers had simply vanished.

No one knows why they disappeared. Many people thought hostile tribes of Native Americans killed them, but there were no signs of a fight. Some thought that the settlers died from hunger or disease, but they couldn't explain the absence of bodies.

The Poltergeist of Rosenheim

Imagine you are in a room by yourself. Suddenly a cup flies past you and shatters against the wall. When this happens, some people say you may be in the company of a "poltergeist." It's a name used to explain strange happenings. A poltergeist smashes dishes and makes loud noises. An invisible person seems to be pushing and throwing objects around. Is there a teenager in the house? Some people believe a poltergeist operates only when young people are near.

In 1967, a lawyer in the German town of Rosenheim had some trouble at his office. Strange things were happening. Light bulbs exploded for no reason. The electrical equipment stopped operating. Telephones rang all the time, but when the lawyer answered, no one was there. There were thousands of calls from the lawyer's office, but no one in the office was making them. The bills were outrageous, and the lawyer was worried.

The Marie Celeste

There are many stories about the sea. Some are legends and some are true. One of the strangest is a true story about a sailing ship. It remains a mystery even today.

In 1872 the Marie Celeste started on a trip across the Atlantic Ocean with a crew of ten. Some time later, the captain of another ship, the Dei Gratia, spotted the Marie Celeste. There was something strange about her appearance. The captain called out, but there was no response. The Marie Celeste seemed deserted.

When the captain rowed over to inspect the ship, no one came to meet him. He knew something was wrong, but there were no signs of violence. Nothing was missing and there was no damage to the ship's instruments. Even the lifeboats were still in place. And strangely enough, the remnants of a recent meal were on the table. Where was everyone? Did all of the crew decide to jump from the Marie Celeste at the same time? Or did a monster come up from the sea onto the ship and take the captain and crew away?

Food of the Future

Scientists are always trying out new ways of growing food, but even they can only guess what food will be like in the future. You can perhaps get a better focus on what lies ahead from the four ideas below. Read them and see if you can guess what the future hamburger will taste like.

The sea can be farmed. Only one third of the earth's area is land. The remainder is sea. The ocean contains huge amounts of tiny sea-animals called krill. Krill are already in some fish products, such as fish sticks and canned crab. Next time you buy canned or frozen seafood look carefully at the label. You might see krill listed as one of the ingredients. Seaweed is another source of future food from the ocean. It is used in ice cream and some breads.

The Healthy Hunza

For a long time, people believed there was a place in the Himalayas where the inhabitants lived forever. They called the place Shangri-La. This name came to mean "paradise" in the English language.

A lot of the stories about Shangri-La are untrue. However, some are accurate. The original​​ Shangri-La was the Hunza Valley, a remote region in the high mountains of northern Pakistan. The Hunza people don't live forever, but many live to be over one hundred​ years old. They appear to be among the healthiest people in the world. They are certainly immune to the many diseases of this area.

Why is this? People who have traveled to this remote area say it's because the Hunza diet is so healthy. The inhabitants eat only what they grow. Grain, fruit and vegetables are their daily food. They seldom eat butter or eggs. They eat meat only on important feast days. Their only sweet dish is dried apricots. The Hunza never drink alcohol. Their religion forbids it. Sugar and canned food are also unknown to them.

Chocolate

We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it's an ingredient in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers.

Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say "ugh!" and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.

The word "chocolate" comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.

Foods from Around the World

Foods that are well known to you may not be familiar to people from other countries. Here are four people's experiences with foreign food.

Shao Wong is a student in France. He comes from China. "I'd never tasted cheese or even milk​ before I came here. Cattle are rare in my part of China, so there are no dairy products. I tried milk when I first arrived in France. I hated it! I sampled cheese too, but couldn't manage more than one bite. I love ice cream, though, and that's made from milk."

Birgit is from Sweden. She traveled to Australia on vacation. "I was in a restaurant that specialized in fish, and I heard some other customers order flake. So I ordered some too and it was delicious. Later, I found out that flake is an Australian term for shark. After that pleasant experience, whenever I see a new food I try it out on purpose. You know why? I remember how much I enjoyed flake."

The Puffer Fish

Most people avoid eating dangerous foods. The don't want to get sick. However, there is one food that may be deadly, yet some people eat it on purpose. It's called the puffer fish.

This species of fish, called fugu in Japanese, lives in the Pacific Ocean. Some Japanese die every year from eating fugu. In fact, the Emperor of Japan is not allowed to tough it. Why? Well, the insides of the puffer fish are very poisonous. They contain a venom 275 times more powerful than the deadly poison cyanide.

Usually nothing bad happens when fugu is on the menu. Customers leave the restaurant with happy smiles on their faces. The chefs are trained to remove the insides of the puffer fish before they serve it to their customers. If they miss even a small amount, the fish is not safe to eat. If a chef is careless, the customers stop smiling and get sick.

Tarahumara Foot Races

The Tarahumara live in the mountains in the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. This is an area of high mountains and deep tropical valleys. It sometimes snows in the mountains in winter. The Tarahumara live in caves, or in wooden or stone houses. They have small farms. There are not many roads.

Other Mexico tribes use horses or donkeys for travel. The Tarahumara walk wherever they need to go. They carry heavy baskets on their backs. Perhaps this is why the Tarahumara are excellent runners. They can run many kilometers without getting tired, and they like to organize races.

When the men race, they kick a wooden ball ahead of them while they run. Before they start racing, they plan where and how long they will run. They might run just a few minutes, or they might fun for several hours. Sometimes they run in teams, and sometimes each person runs as an individual.

Sumo

Sumo wrestling is a national sport in Japan. Every year there are six tournaments, and millions of Japanese watch them on television. A tournament is a series of matches.

Sumo is almost as old as the nation of Japan itself. Stories say that there eas sumo wrestling over two thousand (2,000) years ago. History says that there were national sumo tournaments in the eighth century.

Often, athletes are thin and can move very quickly. It is beautiful to watch them play. However, sumo wrestlers weigh from 100 to 160 kilos. One famous wrestler weighed 195 kilos. Sumo wrestlers do not look beautiful, and sumo wrestling is a very slow sport. Sumo wrestlers start training when they are boys. They exercise to make their bodies strong. They also eat and eat and eat.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is another popular sport in Canada. It is one of the oldest organized sports in America. The Native Americans in northern New York State and southern Ontario, Canada, invented lacrosse. They used it to train for war. They invented this game before Columbus arrived in the New World.

People play lacrosse outdoors. The field is seventy meters long. At each end of the field there is a goal. The goal is a net. There are ten players on each team. Each player has a stick called a crosse. The players hit a ball that is 21 centimeters around and weighs 140 grams. They try to hit the ball into the net as many times as possible. Lacrosse is a very fast game because the players can catch and pass the ball at a high speed with their sticks.

At one time lacrosse was the national summer sport in Canada. It is also popular in Britain and Australia.

Curling

Curling is a popular sport in Canada. However, it probably started in Scotland or Holland around three hundred (300) years ago.

There are two teams with four people on each team in curling. They play on a sheet of ice that is 45 meters long and 4.3 meters wide.

Each player slides two heavy stones toward the "house" circle at the opposite end of the ice sheet. The stones weigh almost twenty kilos. Each stone is flat on the top and bottom and has a handle on the top. The player uses the handle to slide the stone. The player swings the stone off the ice, and it curls or curves as it slides along. It does not go in a straight line.

Thai Boxing

Boxing is popular in many countries. Two fighters wear boxing gloves on their hands. A bell rings. The boxers hit each other until one knocks out the other. Each part of the fight is three minutes long. It is  called a round.

Thai boxing is different.

The boxing match begins with music from drums and flutes. Then the two fighters kneel (kneel [v]: to go down into, or stay in, a position when one or both knees are on the ground លុតជង្គង់ eg. He knelt in front of the altar and prayed) and pray a God. Next they do a slow dance that copies the movements of Thai Boxing. During this dance, each fighter tries to show the other that he is best.

The Metric System

People all over the world use kilograms, centimeters, square meters, liters, and Celsius (C). These are all ways to measure things. They are all part of the metric system.

During the French Revolution (1789-1799) against the king, the revolutionary government started the metric system. Before that, every part of France had a different system for measuring things. Also, cloth makers measured cloth with one system. Jewelers (a person who sells and sometimes repair jewellery and watches ជាងទង) used another system. Carpenters (a person whose job is making and repairing wooden objects and structures ជាងឈើ) used another. Other countris used other systems. The revolutionary government wanted one international scientific system of measurement. They asked a group of scientists and mathematicians to invent a system.

The mathematicians and scientists decided to use the numbers ten, hundred, and thousand for their system.

Umbrellas

The umbrella is a very ordinary object. It keeps the rain and the sun off people. Most umbrellas fold up, so it is easy to carry them.

However, the umbrella did not begin life as an ordinary object. It was a sign of royalty or importance. Some African tribes still use umbrellas in this way today. Someone carries an umbrella and walks behind the king or important person.

Umbrellas are very old. The Chinese had them in the eleventh century B.C. From there, umbrellas traveled to India, Persia, and Egypt. In Greece and Rome, men wouldn't use them. They believed umbrellas were only for women.

When the Spanish explorers went to Mexico, they saw the Aztec kings using umbrellas. English explorers saw Native American princes carrying umbrellas on the east coast of North America. It seems that people in different parts of the world invented umbrellas at different times.